We still exist! It’s been a while between posts but we are still here after a break of a year or so, and keen for your comments and questions. The blog has strangely grown in popularity in the meantime. Who would have guessed our terrible “advice” would be so interesting. Today I’d like to discuss how to deal with exams. Obviously, you’ll study for your exams, and you’ll do well. This part is easy, usually. Where exam time gets really fun is the mind games you can play on the other students! So here are our top three tips for exam time.

Never tell anyone that you’ve studied. If possible pretend that you didn’t even realise that the exam was today. Tell your classmates that you had been drinking the night before. This will make them think you are some kind of sorcerer when your grades get back in, and if you don’t do to well you won’t look so sucky.

Create distractions during the exam. Cough. Ask to go to the toilet. Drop your pencil. Wear inappropriate clothing (perhaps a speedo?). The reasons for this are obvious.

Bring a ruler. Always bring a ruler, and pretend to use it multiple times during the exam. Your classmates will freak out and wonder why you need it.

Now that we’ve shared our three top tips for exams, we’d like to hear from you. What are your top exam tips?

]]>http://uni-edge.com/2018/08/3-tips-for-exam-time/feed/0Extra Curricular Activityhttp://uni-edge.com/2016/11/extra-curricular-activity/
http://uni-edge.com/2016/11/extra-curricular-activity/#respondMon, 21 Nov 2016 05:53:37 +0000http://uni-edge.com/?p=109Continue reading "Extra Curricular Activity"]]>Why? Why would you do this? More work? Uh, that sucks. Riiight? No. Maybe not necessarily. Now, we know it’s difficult to imagine right at this moment, but one day you will finish your time in tertiary education. You will graduate, and then you will need a career to keep you entertained, and rolling in dough.

Oh yeah! That’s the stuff.

When the time comes, you need a resume or CV detailing just how awesome you are. So you include all of your grades, and any awards you received, as well as your experience in the field. Oh wait, you don’t have that? Well, then no job for you! But you can prevent this situation from arising by taking part in some extra-curricular activities such as work experience. You could make an offer to a local company/hospital/daycare facility or whatever, to work for free! Sounds bad, but is good. The experience you get will help you significantly when it comes time to writing your resume, and will accelerate your career.

Run everywhere, always run

So get out there and get some experience – until next time, stay hungry.

]]>http://uni-edge.com/2016/11/extra-curricular-activity/feed/0Showing Respect – Kissing Up for Proshttp://uni-edge.com/2016/11/showing-respect-kissing-up-for-pros/
http://uni-edge.com/2016/11/showing-respect-kissing-up-for-pros/#respondTue, 15 Nov 2016 07:08:21 +0000http://uni-edge.com/?p=93Continue reading "Showing Respect – Kissing Up for Pros"]]>Respect. R-E-C-P-S-T-C. Or something. I was never that great at spelling, but you know the song. Showing your teachers/lecturers/demonstrators a little respect can go a very long way.

Don’t let your emotions rule you!

I’m writing this post to give all of you college guys and girls a little piece of advice: You will receive as much respect as you give. And it is soooo important to let people know that you respect them – it can affect your grades, which then can affect the rest of your life! A close friend of mine once noticed something interesting. In the classes that he respected the teacher the most, his grades were the highest. The more strongly he disliked and disrespected his teacher, the worse his grades would get. Was there a cause and effect relationship here? Were his grades dropping due to his dislike and disrespect? He ended up failing and dropping out after some in-class arguments with a couple of teachers, but what could he have become if only he’d grit his teeth and shown some respect?

How do you feel when someone disrespects you? If they made you feel stupid or rolled their eyes while you spoke? If you were trying to help them, but they weren’t paying attention because they felt you weren’t “good enough” to listen to? Would you cut them any slack when you had the opportunity? Would you give them an extension on an assignment? Of course not! You might even go out of your way to stop them from succeeding. This advice also holds true in the workplace as well, learning respect now can change your life in marvellous ways later on.

My number one tip for showing respect: Be Interested. Fake it if you have to. It doesn’t matter if it’s a boring lecture, or a story from your grandfather, or a business networking conversation, or a meeting. Be interested. That’s all. It works on dates, it works on the phone, it works to make a good first impression, it works on old friends, it works all the time! Show interest in others, and watch your life change for the better. You’ll be liked by all that you meet, and pathways will become available to you that did not exist before. Until next time, have fun, and stay respectful!

]]>http://uni-edge.com/2016/11/showing-respect-kissing-up-for-pros/feed/0Cheap Clothes – And Why Looks Can Matterhttp://uni-edge.com/2016/11/cheap-clothes-and-why-looks-can-matter/
http://uni-edge.com/2016/11/cheap-clothes-and-why-looks-can-matter/#respondMon, 14 Nov 2016 02:46:34 +0000http://uni-edge.com/?p=86Continue reading "Cheap Clothes – And Why Looks Can Matter"]]>Hi, the way you look matters. Yes it does. Did you ever see that kid’s movie, Nanny McPhee? The kids didn’t like her at the beginning of the movie, but they liked her by the end, right? And as they liked her more, her appearance improved, right? She became more attractive, and more like-able at the same time. Strange that, you never really see it the other way around. Now I believe that everyone is beautiful on the inside, and I also believe that everyone has the ability to also be beautiful on the outside! You can be your best self (and I really believe that everyone can do this) by dressing well and taking care of yourself.

Graduates that are dressed well, with good hygiene and a neat appearance are more likely to get a job. I could reference some psych study or something to prove this, but do I really need to? It’s obvious. Who knows, it might even help your grades. But how do you find nice clothes on the cheap? Some of this process will have to do with breaking out of your comfort zone. Maybe you are used to wearing street clothes? Or very casual clothes for comfort’s sake? Maybe you feel a bit ridiculous if you dress is a business or preppy style, but you need to remind yourself that you are an adult now and maybe it’s time to dress like one.

When you begin to dress in a more grown-up way you might be surprised by the range in prices you find for essentially the same clothes. Nowadays you can find dresses, suits (yes, suits – you can wear one occasionally), business wear, and neat casual clothes quite cheaply if you shop around. Try the reduced racks and discounted items at the upper tier stores, and while you are there check out the more expensive stuff. Get an idea of a look you like and then recreate it for cheap at another store! Quite often you can get some nice, neat, professional clothes for less than the cost of street fashion. You would have to be crazy to pay more to dress like an unemployed person!

Over time you will build a classic wardrobe that won’t quickly go out of fashion, and you will start to feel more confident wearing your new style of clothes. You will be surprised how differently you are treated based on how you dress, give it a try!

There’s food everywhere! And trust me, there is plenty to spare – you only need to look at how much is wasted and thrown away at the end of a function to see this. It is your duty to prevent this waste, and feed yourself in the process. To get free food at University – the first thing you need to do is work out where the free food is. What are you doing is to check for any flyers, try the common room, or just walking through the buildings in general to see if you can find an empty space but looks like it’s a place where a function could be held. Outside lecture theaters that are small, there could be electric food heaters etc. Once you identify an area where there are conferences or possibly trade displays – you can work out what time of the month or how often they come up – when you see one make sure you have your name tag (make a pre-prepared one, so just like a plastic pocket that you have like your name in) and whenever you see the visitor display or a conference of some sort and there is food out the front – put your nametag on, hold a notepad and pen, and walk up very confidently and help yourself! Grab it! Please help yourself, then go and sit with everyone and then just kinda slowly walk as you so do this. You can do this by yourself or you can do it in a group – it’ll be more obvious that you don’t belong there on your own, but generally people do not mind if there is an extra person. Then grab some free food!

The free food that is up for grabs at these conferences or trade displays is often really good quality food, so small cakes, pastries, sandwiches, you can even get some salads and stuff so it’s a good option. Just try and not to get too involved in the conversation because it makes it obvious that you’re not actually meant to be there!!

There are so mаnу ways to mаkе money for students in college but the рrоblеm iѕ that аѕ a соllеgе student уоu don’t hаvе that muсh time to do аll of thеѕе, whаt with the ѕlеерing, socializing аndѕtudуing. Whether it is bесаuѕе уоu want tо ѕhоw ѕоmе independence, dоn’t hаvе аnу financial ѕроnѕоring, wаnt tо ѕреnd on a couple of еxtrа luxuriеѕ оr аrе just searching fоr росkеt-mоnеу it iѕ аlwауѕ gооd to knоw hоw to mаkе money as a student.

Rеtаil ѕtоrеѕ оr mаllѕ
It is very common to viеw college ѕtudеntѕ wоrking in retail stores. It is not difficult to find раrt-timе jоbѕ in thiѕ industry. Go to thе mаll, find a ѕtоrе that interests уоu, аnd apply fоr a ѕаlеѕ роѕitiоn. Onе аddеd bеnеfit оf wоrking in rеtаil iѕ that most ѕtоrеѕ offer employee diѕсоuntѕ. This iѕ an added bоnuѕ for any соllеgе ѕtudеnt.

Answer: This time your teacher is probably right – unless you have a pressure cooker. Water’s boiling point is 100 degrees Celsius, after this it becomes stream. So if you have liquid water in your saucepan, it can only be 100 degrees at the hottest. Stay away from steam, that stuff gets hot! Using a pressure cooker you can reach higher temperatures, the pressure raises the boiling point. So tell your teacher you have a pressure cooker – so there, you were right all along.

Maybe it’s been a while since you’ve been studying, or maybe you’re looking for study tips to improve your marks. How on Earth do you begin to study a subject like chemistry? Or math? Or freaking, I don’t know, something about shapes? Really tricky shapes. Like a rhombus or something.

If you haven’t already done so, get yourself a workbook. An A4 ruled workpad, not too many pages is my recommendation. You can always get another one if you fill it up, and it’s more comfortable to write on. Also, get some different coloured pens to write with. I’d recommend drawing diagrams of processes to help your understanding as you go along. For sme subjects, I’d also recommend card that you can write on so that you can make “flash cards” for learning stuff. You can make little cards with a question on one side, and the answer on the other. Or make some memes, smartphone apps, or screensavers (remember those?), or something else creative to help you memorize stuff.

Find yourself a study space. I’d recommend not studying at home if you can help it. And I’d especially recommend that you don’t study in your bedroom. The reason for this is that when you are studying, you are giving your brain a really good workout, and after every workout it is important to rest! If you start associating your bedroom (or your bed) with studying and being alert, you might end up having trouble sleeping. If you are at home with your folks, or living in a sharehouse or dormitory, you might be used to studying on your bed. I’d advise you to find a new study space, and don’t be afraid to mix it up. Do what feels right. Maybe you like to study in the deli section of the supermarket? That’s also fine.

Now, what you need to do is scope out some study areas that are local to you. You probably already have a favourite spot at your university that you like to study, but finding new and interesting places can bring some fresh motivation. Check out your local library (it’s a bit uncool but remember if anyone sees you there – they were also at the library!). There are usually desks and power for your laptop and phone, and also free internet if you need it! Take a cup of coffee or a drink with you and make it a 1-2 hour study session, you’ll be surprised how motivating the environment can be. Also check out coffee shops that provide desks and internet for the occasional power study, this can be a treat. Sitting out at the campus dining areas or under a shady tree can also mix things up. I’m sure you can think of many other creative study spaces, but try to keep your bedroom as a place for rest because too much stress could undo all of your good work.

Look after yourself. Don’t drink too many energy drinks. Bathe every day, and brush your teeth. Consider the occasional shave or haircut. Keep in touch with friends and family. Actively exercise if you enjoy it, or passively exercise (walking, Frisbee, skateboard, etc.) if you don’t. Eat healthy food. Sleep when it’s night time. Wash your clothes (and maybe even iron them!). This stuff is obvious – but it’s very important. If you already do all of this, then that is great! If you don’t – try it. You will get better marks at university if you do these things. And you’ll be a lot happier. If you’ve got an area where you could take better care of yourself, see to it. Nobody else will do it for you!

All work and no play

Ok, so you’re all excited to get stuck into a new semester and you’re going to study like never before! But make sure to leave yourself some time to do things you enjoy as well. I know that assignment deadlines can be a bit difficult to manage, but I’d recommend taking at least one day off each week just to yourself. Even if your manager at work has phoned you to come in urgently – say no. Getting burned out won’t help you at all, and if you don’t leave things until the last minute, you should have time to take a complete day off every week. Burn out sucks – be smart and look after yourself first.

Keen and Ready to Roll!

If you ready to crack open that mint-condition textbook (halfway through the semester), then good work! I’ve gotten through to you. Just remember to manage your time and study a bit of each subject every day (except your days off), just like you did in high school. No teachers are watching you every second to make sure you are working, so it’s up to you to keep ahead of the pack. Remember, when it comes time to apply for jobs, you need your overall grade to be as high as possible so that you can get the job you want! Until next time, have fun and enjoy a sandwich. Or something. Happy Studies!

]]>http://uni-edge.com/2016/11/how-to-study-serious/feed/1Garage saleshttp://uni-edge.com/2016/11/garage-sales/
http://uni-edge.com/2016/11/garage-sales/#respondWed, 09 Nov 2016 04:42:36 +0000http://uni-edge.com/?p=48Continue reading "Garage sales"]]>Great, you’ve moved out of home, and now you have your own place. That you share we some people. Maybe. Or not. Either way, you need to fill that space with stuff. Beds, couches, bookcases, appliances, whatever – you need some stuff. My number one tip here would be to get it for free! If you are in an area that does curbside pickup (or hard garbage day, there are many names for this) people will leave perfectly good stuff on the side of the road. In my experience, almost all electrical equipment found this way still works, but take great care when testing it out. Don’t do this in a bathtub full of water for example. Other things that aren’t electric, you can take in the tub safely – but still might not be a good idea. Generally, don’t do things in the bath i guess is good advice.

This is how I furnished my first apartment. Honestly, all from the side of the road. And after using it for a year or two I sold most of it all for complete profit! They key is to look in the right places, if you have a car you’re golden. Go to the nice part of town, where they have fences with big gates and stuff, you know the place. They have great garbage there! Working televisions (usually with remotes kindly included), yard furniture and even office furniture all up for grabs. If you snag any linen like bedsheets or pillows etc., give these a good wash – even if they look good. They could be diseased or something. But yeah, free stuff everywhere, take it! Unless it’s in someone’s yard – that’s totally stealing.

If you can’t find it there try a garage sale, but remember to negotiate on price. Haggling is fun and it’s expected at yard sales and garage sales. Have fun, and if you get enough free stuff, consider having your own yard sale!

Mmmmmm, I love chicken! It is so good. And I’ve got some friends coming over for dinner, also good. But wait, there’s a problem, I just remembered that I don’t know how to cook! But that’s alright because I have discovered Japanese curry roux – it is so awesome that anyone can cook delicious food -even a college guy like me. Let’s get started!

This is Japanese curry roux, it rocks

You can see in the image above there are a few brands you can choose from, starting from the top we have Kokuma – it’s a nice balanced all around Japanese curry flavour. Not too spicy, not too mild. A nice starting point if you’ve never tried it before. In the middle we have Vermont curry, this one is a bit sweeter with apple and honey flavours (don’t worry, it doesn’t actually taste like apple and honey!), it’s the most forgiving curry if you don’t like spicy things. I believe this was originally a children’s curry, later marketed to adults. I like it. And finally, Java curry, bloody hot and spicy, really good tasting punch in the tongue – give it a go.

I like to read it upside down – for an extra challenge

It’s really easy to make! First throw some diced chicken breast in an oiled pan – I use olive oil and the hottest heat setting on my electric stove.

This is raw chicken – don’t eat this

Cook until it starts to brown and smell like cooked chicken, I don’t know maybe 15 minutes? Trust your senses of sight and smell on this one.

Starting to smell like a chicken shop

Then throw in some veggies, I use frozen veg it’s easier.

Frozen veggies wait for you

Then put in two large mugs of freshly boiled water, and break in the curry roux. It comes in blocks that break up a bit like chocolate.